You might scoff at that news and blow it off as a written redundancy at this point. After all, we KNOW we face risks every time we travel. In fact we know we face risks everyday in our regular lives too. Anything could happen at anytime. Nothing is guaranteed. No office, no highway, and no college campus is truly safe. There are wildcards and variables no one could ever predict.
I get that.
But there are absolutely things you can do. You can increase your odds of avoiding tragedy.
Can you stay safe in a hostage situation? I did.
It's not something I talk about. It's in the past. I moved on and I live a very full and blessed life. Ever wonder why I travel so much? Hug you every chance I get? Because I'm grateful for every day.
My life could have ended in a shotgun blast, near closing time, in a bar in the 1990s. It's true what people say, "you don't even know what's going on until it's fully involved, until you're right in the middle of it." A crisis experience is truly surreal.
I was a cocktail waitress, cleaning tables, loud music blaring in the background, just two customers and a few staff left in the building after a very busy night. I heard yelling but didn't think anything of it. People were always shouting, staff joking, customers tussling, it was just the normal environment. When I turned around there was, a guy maybe 8 feet away, pointing a shotgun at me, screaming for me to get on the floor. So I did. And I crawled as far under a table as I could.
The staff were rounded up into one area and held at gunpoint, while our manager was unloading the safe with a gun to his head.
The whole thing lasted less than 15 minutes, but could have been hours. Every second, every breath was terrifying. My boss said the worst part for him, was being thrown in to the area where the staff was being held. We were all on the floor, face down, as instructed. Motionless, he thought we were dead. Yes, there was a moment in time where he believed his staff and best friends were all dead on the floor. We weren't. No one was physically injured by the 4 or 5 gunmen. So yeah, we were lucky. They took the money and got out. Not a single shot fired.
I don't really want to talk about it. I feel sick even writing about it now.
What I really want YOU to take away from this post, are these 5 tips.
1. Have an exit strategy at all times. Whether you are in an airport waiting area, a hotel, a plane, a restaurant or a public event like a concert, know where your exits are. How do you get out in a hurry? You need to know this.
2. Choose off peak times to travel if possible and choose direct flights whenever you can. For example, a major hub like Denver or Atlanta is a greater target that Colorado Springs or Tampa Bay etc. So if you can avoid long stopovers at big hub airports, I believe you are safer.
3. Never go blindly into a situation. Research, research, research. Whether it's government travel advisories or hotel reviews, you need to know as much as you can about your destination. A fellow traveller might tell you to avoid the corner market or be wary of local transit. But they might also reassure you that you've made a great pick.
4. Leave an itinerary and check in regularly at home. If you use apps like TripCase, they give you the option to share the itinerary with a friend. I have a single friend who is a regular overseas traveller. He shares his trip plans in advance so his friends know where to "look for the body." We joke about it lightheartedly, but below the surface we all understand this is a legit and appropriate safety step we all need to take, regardless of how tough and independent we are.
5. Do what you're told. If security personnel tells you to get down, leave the area or to identify yourself, you need to ACT. If you find yourself in a hostage situation, I would also urge you to do what you're told. If they are talking to you or shouting at you, they want to spare you. I have been told it is more likely to be shot without warning.
Be safe. Don't stop travelling. Make good choices. Live every day. Hug your family.
xo Cathie
PS. I also have emergency measures training. Just not a fact I throw around in every day conversation.
No comments:
Post a Comment